Daily Fantasy Baseball Must Starts: Monday June 11th

With only 4 games on the MLB schedule, it may be tempting to ride the household names today. Take a look at their history against the probable starter before throwing money at the highest priced options.

Value plays:

Colby Rasmus – Few hitters have been able to produce at all against the Nationals pitching staff this year, but Rasmus’ history suggests he is in goo shape to do just that tonight. He has 6 hits in 10 at bats (including 4 extra base hits) against Edwin Jackson and has been hitting up over the last week with a .308 average. I’m thinking a multi hit day is a reasonable projection for daily fantasy baseball games, with the potential to score a run or two and knock in one or two as well.

Torii Hunter and Albert Pujols – The Angels as a team have obliterated Chris Capuano, as they hold a team batting average of .472 in 72 career at bats. Hunter and Pujols have accounted for most of that production as they’ve totaled a .521 average in 48 at bats. The duo has 25 hits against Capuano, with 6 of them being HR’s and 10 of them going for extra bases. The Dodgers pitcher has struck out Hunter and Pujols just as many times as he has walked them (6). The Angels are rounding into form and tonight seems like a mismatch to me. Look for the Halos to score in bunches, with this prolific pair to be in the middle of everything.

Players to avoid:

Jose Reyes – There aren’t many daily fantasy baseball options on a slow Monday in the majors, but I would still avoid Reyes, as Josh Beckett has absolutely dominated him in the past. The Marlins SS is batting .071 against the Red Sox righty, recording a strikeout more than once every four at bats. Logic would say that Reyes has a shot to hit Boston’s bullpen, but with Beckett pitching at least 7 innings in each of his last 5 starts, Reyes figures to see Beckett 3 times.

Andre Ethier – He has been a pleasant surprise in fantasy baseball circles this season, but not over the last 7 days. The Dodger slugger has been the focus of opposing pitching staffs with Matt Kemp sidelined, and his .040 batting average reflects his inability to be the number one hitter in a lineup. He faces off with Garrett Richards tonight, a pitcher he has never seen before. It’ll take at least 2 at bats for Ethier to get a feel for the youngster, making him a player I am avoiding today.